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Senior Actuation Design Engineer

Joby Aviation

Santa Cruz, CA · $122k–$206k a year · Posted October 20, 2026

More in California job market · Aerospace & Defense · Engineering jobs

About the job

Company Overview

Imagine a piloted air taxi that takes off vertically, then quietly carries you and your fellow passengers over the congested city streets below, enabling you to spend more time with the people and places that matter most. At Joby, we've been working to make that dream a reality since 2009 and we're now in the final stages of certifying our aircraft with the FAA. With plans to launch our aircraft in the US and Dubai, we're now scaling manufacturing and preparing for the launch of our commercial service.

Overview

Joby Aviation is seeking a talented and experienced design engineer to join our airframe and actuators team. This individual will be responsible for the design and certification of flight critical electro-mechanical actuators. This role will involve management of existing requirements and drafting new requirements, conceptual and detailed CAD design, drawing creation, hardware selection and procurement, and drafting of documentation for certification. This role will also require support in the manufacturing of prototype and production flyaway actuators, component and system testing, data analysis, and implementing design changes driven by learnings from test and operation. Experience in the certification of aerospace actuators is highly desirable. Hands-on experience and a “get it done" attitude are key for this position. This position is rewarding for engineers that value seeing their ideas rapidly grow from concept to creation due to Joby Aviation’s fast development pace.

Responsibilities

Detailed layout of actuator mechanical and electrical design elements

Collaboration with engineering and certification teams to incorporate best practices

Ability and willingness to ‘get your hands dirty’ in the assembly and testing of actuators

Support of technicians and flight test personnel during integration and flight testing

Creation and maintenance of technical drawings and bill of materials

Support of certification process through documentation and communication

Support of manufacturing in root cause analysis of non conformances

Data analysis of manufacturing yield data

Support of manufacturing in failure analysis

Manage issues that affect fleet operations and maintenance

Required

B.S. degree in relevant field and 5+ years of industry work experience

M.S degree in relevant field and 3+ years of industry work experience

Ability to visualize complex 3D systems

Keen eye for detail and willingness to design to strict aerospace standards

Great mechanical aptitude and curiosity to learn

Excellent teamwork and communication skills

Proficiency with CAD

Willingness to be hands-on

Ability to be onsite regularly at our headquarters in Santa Cruz CA

Desired

Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or another relevant discipline

5+ years of work experience within aerospace industry, 8+ years of overall experience

Certification of aerospace actuators

Additional Information

Compensation at Joby is a combination of base pay and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The target base pay for this position is $121,500 - $206,100/yr. The compensation package will be determined by job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.Joby also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan with a company match, an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, and more.

Joby is an Equal Opportunity Employer.